Watch Your Ground [ON HOLD]

Chapter 7: Peeta

My heart beats faster as she says those three words. She does have feelings for me. I could admit mine right here, right now.

"I love you too." I quietly reply.

"Really?" Katniss asks, her breath hitching as she speaks.

"Yeah. The moment you walked into the office and I saw you. The moment you were announced to be my partner." I whisper and rest my forehead and nose against hers.

I watch her eyes and they travel to my lips again. We're unsure if we should kiss again. Katniss slowly brings her lips to mine again and closes her eyes before breaking them away again.

"We should get going. We need to find a place to stay." Katniss states and removes her hand from my hair, letting it fall beside her. Her hand that rested on my chest, she trails down my arm and entwined her fingers with mine. Staying silent.

"How many weeks are you?" I ask Katniss as we make our way to the exit.

"Eleven weeks." She answer. "I've done research, I know how to act." She adds and I nod.

We exit and walk down the steps, Katniss purposefully taking them just a few seconds longer. We head to our car, trying to remember we have a different number plate. I end up nearly missing the car and Katniss has to stop me before I get a step too far.

"I'll drive." I state.

"But your leg-" I press my finger to her lips.

"I'll be careful. You just need to give me directions to finding a place to stay." Katniss nods and I reluctantly slip my fingers out of hers. I unlock the car and we both hop in.
Once ready to go, I start the car and slowly back out of the car park. "We have everything Kat?"

"Yup. We'll do our hair at the place." I get onto the main road and Katniss gives me a few suggestions for places.

"There is a motel about six k's from here. We'll only be there one night right?"

"Yeah, but we are going across the country you know. We need to get as far as we can from here. Let's just stay there." I keep my eyes trained on the road and Katniss enters the address into the GPS. I glance down to see we have to continue straight for a few kilometres.

"Mum? Yeah it's Katniss. Is anyone there?" I double take quickly at the conversation, she's calling her mum. "Okay. Mum, I'm with Peeta and we're okay. We're okay." she repeats her voice cracking. "We're having to endure a fake pregnancy because of an act that taken literally. If anyone asks you need to say its true. We plan to change identity, looks, names and everything." I hear muffled noises on her mothers end and panic spreads in her eyes. "Mama I love you so much. We're so sorry. Please pass the message on to Peeta's family. We'll be okay Mama. We love you all so much." She says quickly and she freezes.

"Katniss?" I ask and at my voice speaking her name she bursts into tears. "Kat sweetie?" It's not often that I don't call her anything beside her name or my abbreviation for it. My hand leaves the wheel to rest on her thigh.

"They are hurting our families Peeta!" She exclaims and I pull off the road once again.

"Do we go back and surrender?" I whisper, tears building up in my eyes. Katniss shakes her head, sobbing louder at the sacrifice she's made.

"You'd have to get me pregnant if we did. Mama said to not worry about them and keep ourselves alive. That's all their dying wishes." Anger and desperation rushing through me, I unbuckle myself and reach under Katniss' shirt to rip off the velcro strap and chuck the fake bump to the floor.

"In the back." I instruct and Katniss does as I ask. I hop out, also heading into the back.

We both sit in and once the doors are closed and locked, I press her body against mine. I place my hand on the back of her head and press my lips to hers, beginning to pour every ounce of my emotions and love onto her, I can feel her doing the same. I carefully lie her down on the car seats and we continue giving each other our love.

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I see as Katniss sits by the dresser, scissors in hand. I walk up behind her and move her hair to fall over her shoulder. I sit on the same chair beside her and she looks to me.

I pull out my phone and get to camera. She rests her head against my shoulder and I turn my head to bury my nose in her brown locks for the last time. I snap a photo of us.

The last one as Katniss and Peeta.

"You need to do it sweetie." I murmur and Katniss sniffles, nodding into my neck.

She sits up and bunches her hair in her hand. She threads her fingers into the scissors holes and holds them up beside her hair.

She takes a deep breath, closing her eyes. Then I hear the scissors close.